W_Hening

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Ok, so I picked-up our new 2009 SLK 350 from having the clear bra installed today and everything looks great. This past weekend, the transmission started some strange behavior that continued this afternoon. On a couple occasions, when shifting from Park into Drive, the transmission has clunked quite hard, both feeling like a thump, and making an audible clunking noise. Going back into Park and then into Drive after this occurs has sounded and felt normal. I thought that it could have been due to my setting the parking brake after shifting into Park (rather than before shifting into park), but tonight I tried without using the parking brake at all, and the transmission exhibited the same disconcerting clunk. Any thoughts? The car has roughly 300 miles on it now.

I am planning to call the dealership tomorrow. Hopefully, it is just a software issue that needs to be reflashed, or due to the adaptation phase of the transmission, and not an indication of what life with this car is going to be like over the long haul!

Other than this, the car is great, and I will post pics as soon as I can.

Thanks in advance!

-W.

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Good luck with getting the transmission issue resolved. Where in central Virginia are you located? I'm in Chester.

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etyu

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Make sure the brake pedal is depressed firmly before moving from park to drive.

Drive it with moderate aggressiveness without going beyond 4000 rpm and see if the adaptation takes hold in a few hundred miles.

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Eddy

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Pewter/Beige, PIII package, Airscarf, Hands-Free Communication System, Lighting package
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bradmg

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Try applying the parking brake before shifting to park so that it doesn't roll up against the transmission stop. The only time I've felt anything like that was when there was a bit of pressure against the stop, being on a bit of a hill without using the parking brake.

W_Hening

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It has clunked when shifting from N to D, as well, and also on level surfaces with and without using the parking brake, so I am not optimistic that the parking brake has anything to do with this. I will call the service department today!

Thanks for everyone's help!

W_Hening

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I dropped the car at the dealer for service and decided to wait on it. Ten minutes later they told me it was ready. I asked what was found, and was handed a service invoice with "could not duplicate" on it. I even took the quality control guy on a test run, but sure enough, no clunk from the transmission. Chasing ghosts, apparently.

I am hopeful that it either: (a) it won't happen again; or (b) I can determine the circumstances under which it happens so that I can show the service folks.

jbanks15

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they only took ten minutes? you would have 'thunk' they would have at least kept it an hour to give the impression they were actually working on it. hope it was only a ghost.

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Jeff
2009 SLK 55 AMG Black/Black
Premium 1, Multimedia, Lighting packages
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Eurolight Clear Side Markers
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Duo-Art

W, Don't panic. I had a few strange clunks in my transmission when my car was quite new but they went away after a thousand miles or so. It may just be part of the breaking in process. Perhaps things are a bit tight.

gorewest

Mine does the same thing but only first thing out of the garage.